Taiwanese Americans

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)
Taiwanese Americans
臺灣裔美國人
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas.
Languages
English, Chinese (Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Eastern Min), Formosan languages
Religion
Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Chinese Americans, Hong Kong Americans, Hoklo Americans, Hakka Americans, Overseas Taiwanese, Overseas Chinese

Taiwanese Americans (Chinese: 臺灣裔美國人) are Americans who carry full or partial ancestry from Taiwan. This includes American-born citizens who descend from migrants from Taiwan.[3]

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 49% of Taiwanese Americans lived in the state of California. New York and Texas have the second and third largest Taiwanese American populations, respectively.[4] Notable Taiwanese Americans include Joy Burke, Elaine Chao, Steve Chen, Andrew Cherng, Michael Chang, Yuan Chang, David Ho, James C. Ho, Tony Hsieh, Jensen Huang, Min H. Kao, Justin Lin, Jeremy Lin, Lisa Su, Katherine Tai, William Wang, Nymphia Wind, Constance Wu, Michelle Wu, Andrew Yang, and Jerry Yang.

Immigration history

Constance Wu began her career in the theater, before her breakthrough role as Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat.

Taiwanese

Formosa), was negligible,[6] but a small number of students came to the United States until 1965.[7] After the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which loosened restrictions and gave preference to skilled workers,[8] many came as students and stayed, partly due to better economic conditions in the U.S. and due to a repressive political climate back home.[9]

In 1949, the

People's Republic of China (PRC) banned emigration to the United States until 1977, the quota for immigrants from China was almost exclusively filled by immigrants from Taiwan. In 1979, the United States broke diplomatic relations with the ROC, while the Taiwan Relations Act
gave Taiwan a separate immigration quota from that of the PRC.

Before the late 1960s, immigrants from Taiwan to the United States tended to be "mainland Chinese" who had immigrated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang (KMT) after the fall of mainland China to the Communists. Later immigrants tended to increasingly be Taiwanese benshengren, or Han Taiwanese whose ancestors had already lived in Taiwan before 1949. Taiwanese immigration to the United States began to subside in the early-1980s due to improving economic and political conditions in Taiwan.

Socioeconomics

Main article: Model minority

Education

Chinese culture places a high value on education, and many Taiwanese Americans are very highly educated and hold advanced degrees from numerous prestigious universities around the United States. Several distinguished academics, including Nobel Prize winners, are Taiwanese Americans.[10][11][12]

Financial and

Asian American groups). 80.0% of Taiwanese American men attained a bachelor's degree and 68.3% of Taiwanese American women attained a bachelor's degree. 39.1% of all Taiwanese in the United States possess a master's, doctorate or other professional degree, nearly four times the national average.[13][14]

Educational Attainment in ACS 2019[15]
Ethnicity Bachelor's degree or Higher High school graduate or higher
Taiwanese 78.8% 95.7%
Indian 75.7% 92.7%
Pakistani 59.8% 89.4%
Korean 58.9% 93.3%
Chinese average 56.7% 84.1%
Vietnamese 55.8% 92.3%
Asian average 55.6% 87.8%
Japanese 53.7% 96.1%
Filipino 49.8% 93.5%
Non-Hispanic White 34.4% 90.4%
General US Population 33.1% 88.6%

Employment

Many Taiwanese Americans work as

Viewsonic
).

Economics

According to the 2009

U.S. Census, Taiwanese American men had one of "the highest year-round, full-time median earnings" with a figure of $76,587, while Taiwanese American women had a median income of $51,307. Taiwanese Americans have one of the lowest poverty rates in the US, with a poverty rate of 9.5% compared to 11.3% for the general American population.[14]

Settlement

Many Taiwanese immigrants have not settled in the old Chinatowns because they do not speak

Flushing, Queens
, which generally reflected new investments and capital flowing from Taiwan into newer Taiwanese enclaves instead of traditional Chinatowns.

While Monterey Park is no longer the largest Taiwanese community in Los Angeles today, Flushing remains the main Taiwanese cultural, commercial, and political center in New York City. In Los Angeles County, California, newer communities such as Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, Arcadia, San Marino, Diamond Bar, Walnut, San Gabriel, Temple City, are similar to "Little Taipei." However, many annual Taiwanese cultural events (especially during Taiwanese Heritage Week) are still held in Monterey Park. As an attempt to duplicate the Taiwanese success of Monterey Park in Houston, Texas, Taiwanese immigrant entrepreneurs established what is now widely considered as Houston's new Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard in the mid-1980s. A number of Taiwanese American businesses and organizations still operate and flourish in this part of Houston.

The prestige and performance of particular school districts, as well as access to careers in high-tech firms, have played a significant part in influencing the settlement patterns of Taiwanese Americans. Areas with high concentrations of Taiwanese immigrants include the

Atlanta, Georgia
area has also received a significant influx of Taiwanese immigrant residents.

From the middle of the 1980s to the 1990s, large numbers of affluent Taiwanese Americans began moving out to upscale neighborhoods such as

People's Republic of China and Cantonese and Teochew (mostly from Vietnam) taking their place in Monterey Park, as well as Alhambra. Starting in the 2000s, highly educated Nassau County on Long Island east of New York City, as well as suburbs in northern and central New Jersey
, have received a large influx of Taiwanese immigrants.

Suburbs of Albuquerque also have a moderately sized Taiwanese population.

Similarly, for the past 10 years, Taiwanese have been immigrating to upscale neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Orange County such as Cerritos and Irvine respectively. Cerritos is located in Los Angeles County but borders Orange County and has a large diversity of Asian immigrants. Irvine has a very large Taiwanese population. The Irvine Chinese School, which serves mostly the American-born children of Taiwanese immigrants, is one of the largest Chinese-language schools in the Orange County area.

Taiwanese-oriented strip malls and shopping complexes are typically complete with supermarkets and restaurants. In addition, shops offering imported Taiwanese goods allow for young Taiwanese expatriates in the United States to keep up with the current trends and popular culture of Taiwan. Taiwanese Americans have also brought with them Taiwanese cuisine to the communities they have settled, which, possibly excluding bubble tea, is not generally well known or served outside these aforementioned Taiwanese immigrant enclaves.

U.S. metropolitan areas with large Taiwanese American populations

The list of metropolitan area with a Taiwanese American population of at least 4,000, as of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Rank Metro Area Region Taiwanese-Americans
Alone or in Combination (
2010 Census
)
1
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
Pacific
 60,478[16]
2 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island
Mid-Atlantic
 25,573[17]
3
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
Pacific
 17,125[18]
4
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
Pacific
 16,549[19]
5 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria
South Atlantic
 7,179[20]
6 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown
West South Central
 7,109[21]
7 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue
Pacific
 6,924[22]
8 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
Pacific
 5,913[23]
9 Chicago-Joliet-Naperville
East North Central
 5,532[24]
10
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
West South Central
 5,195[25]
11 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy New England 4,802[26]
12 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
Pacific
 4,722[27]

Politics

Taiwanese Americans have also gradually increased their political engagement in the public sphere of the U.S. in recent years.

Notable examples include:

First generation immigrants and later generations

First and

Taipei metropolitan area
usually speak Mandarin as their primary language. There are many first-generation Taiwanese immigrants of full Hakka heritage who speak all three languages. Some Taiwanese Americans of mixed Hoklo and Hakka Heritage speak only Mandarin as their primary language.

Organizations

Organizations geared towards Taiwanese Americans include the

Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). In addition, most cities with concentrations of Taiwanese Americans have a Taiwanese association or Taiwan Center
.

The first Taiwanese church in North America, the Winfield Reformed Church in Woodside, Queens, in New York City, was established in 1969.[31]

In 1986, Chaotian Temple from Taiwan has also established a branch temple known as Ma-Tsu Temple in San Francisco Chinatown with the support of Taiwanese American community.[32]

Media

Taiwanese Americans also run several of North America's major Chinese-language newspapers, such as the World Journal based in Queens; and the Chicago Chinese News. However, these influential and highly circulated newspapers are not geared solely to Taiwanese immigrants, but also serve a broader Chinese-speaking immigrant readership. Pacific Journal is a weekly Taiwanese-run newspaper that is geared more exclusively toward Taiwanese readers.

Due to the significant Taiwanese American community, Taiwanese media dominates the Chinese-language airwaves in the United States. Cable and satellite television of Taiwan-based media keeps Taiwanese Americans abreast of news developments and programming in Taiwan. For example, satellite stations

ETTV America and CTI
cater to Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese immigrants.

Taiwanese nationality and residency

Main articles:
Nationality law of the Republic of China, National without household registration, and Taiwan passport
Passport of Taiwan
Passport of the United States

In the 1960s, many Taiwanese Americans chose to make America their permanent home and had children in the U.S. Most sought refuge from the numerous arrests and executions during the White Terror era of the KMT, the political party which had dictatorially ruled the country. By the late 1970s, improving economic conditions in Taiwan slowed the rate of immigration. During the 1990s, political liberalization in Taiwan encouraged many who had left Taiwan for political reasons to return.

Although the

Ministry of the Interior,[33] and the Ministry may deny a person's application under Taiwanese law.[34]
Without formal renunciation, the ROC government considers its emigrants with American citizenship to continue to be nationals of the ROC. Acquiring US citizenship has no effect on the holder's status as a national of ROC, which makes Taiwan-born Americans still eligible to vote in the ROC elections, provided that their household registration is still intact in Taiwan.

Unlike their Taiwan-born parents, the American-born second generation do not have

Taiwanese National Identification Card, do not have right of abode in Taiwan, and are subject to immigration control while in Taiwan.[35] They are, however, eligible for a Taiwan passport
. It is possible for NWOHRs to be registered as nationals with household registration (NWHRs) if they meet the requirements listed under the Immigration Act of Taiwan.

Connection to politics of Taiwan and cultural ties

Some Taiwanese Americans play an active role in the politics and culture of Taiwan, aided in large part by recognition of

dual citizenship. The identity politics of Taiwan also influences at least first generation Taiwanese Americans. Many government officials, including presidents Tsai Ing-wen, Ma Ying-jeou, and Lee Teng-hui, have received graduate degrees in the United States. The United States was also a major destination for anti-KMT figures such as Peng Ming-min and Chai Trong-rong, where they were politically exiled. Others, including Nobel Prize laureate Yuan T. Lee
were educated in the United States.

The close connection between Taiwan and the United States has led to some interesting political dynamics. From time to time, the issue of loyalty to Taiwan is raised – for example, in 2008, during his successful Presidential campaign, the fact that

Ma Ying-Jeou has sisters and a daughter who are American citizens was criticized. Prominent party chairman James Soong has been criticized for having extensive property holdings in the United States and for the fact that his children are American citizens. Several legislators and government officials in the KMT have been controversially alleged to have permanent U.S. residency status or U.S. citizenship without renouncement while serving in public office. Similarly, loyalty was raised as an issue in the feud between Li Ao and Yuan T. Lee
, whose children are also American citizens. This issue is partly one of socio-economic status as Taiwanese with extensive connections within the United States are considered wealthier and more privileged than the average Taiwanese.

However, this issue has not become a large part of Taiwanese political discourse, largely because links with the United States are so extensive on both sides of the political spectrum that no one can use this issue to gain a significant political advantage. Both the

2004 ROC Presidential Election, both coalitions campaigned extensively in the United States. An estimated 10,000 Taiwanese Americans traveled to Taiwan to vote in the election. In the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election, tens of thousands of Taiwanese Americans traveled to Taiwan to vote in the election.[36]

While

US natural born citizens were included in the decision.[citation needed
]

Notable people

For a more comprehensive list, see List of Taiwanese Americans.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Taiwanese in U.S. insist their identity is not a 'political choice'— but must be a census option". NBC News. 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. ^ "僑委會全球資訊網". Archived from the original on 2012-09-16.
  3. ^ J. Sydney Jones, "Taiwanese Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2014), pp. 343-356. Online
  4. ^ "ASIAN ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH ONE OR MORE OTHER RACES, AND WITH ONE OR MORE ASIAN CATEGORIES FOR SELECTED GROUPS". United States Census Bureau. United States Department of Commerce. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  5. ^ "The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act)". Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 19 Nov 2014.
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  7. ISBN 9780313297625
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  10. ^ Indian Americans grow to 3.2 million, top in household income. The Economic Times. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
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  12. ^ "Indo-Americans Population Surpasses 3 Million Milestone, Tops In Income". The Link. November 26, 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
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  14. ^ a b c American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. "United States - Selected Population Profile in the United States (Taiwanese alone)". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  15. ^ American Community Survey (2019). "S0201: Selected Population Profile in the United States". American Community Survey 2019. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  17. ^ "New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  18. ^ "San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  19. ^ "San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
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  21. ^ "Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  22. ^ "Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  24. ^ "Chicago-Joliet-Naperville". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  25. ^ "Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Boston-Cambridge-Quincy". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  27. ^ "San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos". US Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  28. ^ Lea Kahn. "West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh won't seek a fifth term". Centraljersey.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  29. ^ "N.J. mayor born in Taiwan is the epitome of the American dream - Editorial". Nj.com. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  30. ^ "Andrew Yang's Presidential Bid is So Very 21st Century". Wired. Archived from the original on 2019-06-24. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  31. ^ "教會歷史 – 紐約恩惠歸正教會 Winfield Reformed Church". Winfieldreformedchurch.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  32. ISBN 978-0822391166. Archived
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  33. Nationality Law of the Republic of China
    .
  34. Nationality Law of the Republic of China
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  35. ^ "Laws & Regulations Database of The Republic of China". law.moj.gov.tw. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  36. ^ Chang, Cindy; Do, Anh. "L.A.-area residents flock to Taiwan to vote in 'do or die' presidential election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  37. Nationality Law of the Republic of China
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Bibliography

External links
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